Here you can follow our sailing from Sweden to the Mediterranian.We have a new yacht s/y Carpe Diem, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40. Of practical reasons we are still using the homepage of our previous yacht s/y Xavita.

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Cuba has two different
currencies, Pesos for the locals and Convertible Pesos, CUC, for all
foreigners. One CUC equals to one US dollar. All prices are in Pesos.
If something costs 10, the Cuban pays 10 Pesos while we have to pay
10 CUC, and as one CUC equals to 24 Pesos we pay 24 times more than
the Cuban for the same item. One reason is that some basic foodstuff
is very cheap, subsidized by the government, and foreigners should
not have this advantage. As a result it is quite expensive for us
foreigners, same price level as in US and Europe. Surprising as they
want more tourists.

We have some Pesos from an
earlier Cuba visitor. Trying to pay with these without success. Going
to a bank to change these to CUC. But that is impossible. The bank
does not exchange their own currencies. We are guided to an exchange
office down the street, but the queue is so long so we make the
exchange on the street.

The car rental
man says specifically that flat tyres
are on our account, not included in the insurance. We say OK and do
not think any further. Credit cards are accepted as long as they are
not issued in US. Driving westward along the northern coastal
highway. Four lanes soon become two. No problems as the traffic
decreases the further we are from Havana. Finally it is just we and
horse carriages and wagons
pulled
by oxes. We meet trucks full with people standing on the
truck beds.
Trucks converted to buses and bicycle taxis in villages we pass. What
a road, more and more holes, driving in 30-40 km/hour steering from
side to side, sometimes out on the roadside
to avoid the biggest holes. Two flat tyres, which are quickly
repaired in a shed. Probably previous repairs that were not good
enough.

The valley with the small town
Vinales welcomes us with green fields and funny rocks, mogotes. The
rocks are very porous and hollow and we visit a great cavern with a
boat ride on a subterranean river. A typical tourist trap. Our
hitchhiker, who suddenly turns to a guide, pays 5 Pesos entrance,
while we pay 5 CUC, 24 times more. The same hitchhiker has of course
a relative in town who runs a “Casa Particular”, a private house
with added guest rooms with bathrooms and AC. Cheap and clean and we
stay overnight.

Our self made guide, speaking
fluent English, takes us to a tobacco plantation. The province Vuelta
Abaj in the Vinales area has the finest tobacco in the world for
cigars. The connoisseurs come here from the whole world. The 2-3 year
long process from seed to cigar is demonstrated in a barn. The leaves
are harvested by hand, first the 2 lowest, later leaves in the
middle, finally the 2-3 at the top of the plant. The process
includes among others drying the leaves, sorting, two periods of
fermentation with ripening storage in between. The whole harvest is
delivered to the state and the cigar factories without any
compensation. 10% of the cigars comes back to the farmer for his own
distribution and to cover his expenses. We are also demonstrated the
art of rolling cigars, which takes several years to learn.

Testing several sorts and buying
the finest cigars, Cohiba Excellento, from the farmer for a fifth of
the European price. We learn that cigars contain very little
nicotine, as the nerve is cut away from the tobacco leave where most
of the nicotine is sitting. The more exclusive the cigar, the less
smell.

A 4-lane highway, autopista,
takes us from Vinales to Cienfuego on the middle of the Cuban south
coast. Also this road does not have any traffic and it becomes absurd
when it expands to 6 lanes and even 8 lanes when passing outside
Havana. Also in Cienfuego we stay in a “Casa Particular”
recommended by the previous casa.

When turning into a parking lot
outside a restaurant in the evening a scooter hits our rental car.
The driver and the passenger are thrown on the ground but are luckily
not injured. As our car is damaged we need a police report. Now
follows a non describable spectacle. First one motorbike police, soon
two more. But they do nothing and do not understand a single English
word. After a while a representative from the insurance company
arrives and questions only the scooter driver and makes a report that
Johan shall sign. After some investigation we find a person on the
street that is more or less able to translate the report. The report
is one-eyed and to our disadvantage to have the insurance company pay
the damages of the scooter. Johan refuses to sign and demands a
police report. After an hour an old Lada in very bad shape arrives
with four police officers. They ignore us completely and refuse to
listen to us, they also only speak Spanish. Johans passport and
driving license are confiscated. After a while we understand that the
youngest police officer, a very young woman in mini skirt and net
stockings is the investigator. After 3 hours on the street we are
followed to the hospital for an alcohol test. The test consists of
blowing the doctor in his face and to stand on one feet with closed
eyes. Thereafter several hours waiting in the police station while
they are trying to find a translator. We get more and more angry as
we do not get any information about why and how long.

One o'clock in the night, after 7
hours in the net of the police, we leave without permission and drive
to the casa without passport and driving license. To make a long
story short we return the next morning for additional waiting and
finally a questioning with the net stocking and a translator.
Ironically we do not get a copy of the report as they not have a copy
machine but we make photos of the report. Passport and driving
license is handed over.

On our way to
Trinidad we are lost and pick-up a hitchhiker to guide us, but
instead there are three men in the back seat. We miss a hole in the
road and get a flat tyre, which becomes two. The hitchhikers are
helpful and takes off the two wheels and disappears to a workshop
somewhere. Suspiciously quick they are back with repaired tyres and a
skyhigh bill. We do a lot of talking and bargaining
with
now four men on an empty road in nowhere. The situation is not to our
advantage and we have to pay a far too high price. As a revenge they
have to go home by feet.

Trinidad is a beautiful old town
in quite good shape. This is the salsa center in Cuba and many salsa
tourists are dancing with the locals in the restaurants. We also find
a restaurant with very tasty food, something we have missed so far in
Cuba. Once more staying over night in a “Casa Particular”.

Driving northwards on winding
mountain roads to Santa Clara. Of some reason the city is Che
Guevara's city and we visit his pompous mausoleum and a museum
telling his guerrilla period. His time after the revolution as
minister of economy and chairman of the national bank is not
described at all. Did he fall out of favour? On our way back to
Havana on a 6-lane empty highway we are stopped by the police. All
papers are OK, but the police officer finds that he can give us a
ticket for not putting on the warning lights when he stopped us. He
writes 20 CUC in his palm, Johan gets angry, no more police
harassment, says definitely no and we drive away. No police car in
the mirror, apparently the money was intended for his own pocket.

To summarize, Cuba is really a
different and exciting country. Pity there are some bad persons and
haughty officials. Most people are very kind and helpful, they try
their utmost to guide us and explain. Cuba will be an unforgettable
memory.